Religion News: Australian Archbishop ashamed, humiliated by abuse

Thursday

Feb 9, 2017 at 5:45 PMFeb 9, 2017 at 5:45 PM

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WEEK IN RELIGIONAfter The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that 7 percent of Catholic priests in Australia had allegedly sexually abused children, Australia’s Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher said he was ashamed and humiliated by the commission’s findings. “The church is sorry and I am sorry for past failures that left so many so damaged,” Fisher said in a statement released by the Vatican. “I know that many of our priests, religious and lay faithful feel the same. As Catholics we hang our heads in shame.” The Royal Commission was launched in 2013 to look at child abuse in places such as schools and government organizations. In their report, The Royal Commission found that 4,444 people had reported child sexual abuse (allegedly occurring at more than 1,000 different institutions) between 1980 and 2015 and the claims identified 1,880 different alleged perpetrators. The report also found that the perpetrators were not just priests and included religious brothers, religious sisters and lay church workers. In his statement, Fisher said the majority of the incidents occurred between the 1950s and 1970s, but vowed to “work towards a culture of greater transparency, accountability and safety for all children.” According to commission officials, 309 cases have been referred to the police and has resulted in 27 prosecutions, while 75 cases are currently under investigation.— More Content Now

SURVEY SAYSMajority of Democrats believe Christianity is as violent as IslamAccording to a new poll, seven in 10 Democrats believe that Christianity is just as violent a religion as Islam. The poll, conducted by CBS, also found that 63 percent of Republicans view Islam as more violent in nature than other religions.— More Content Now

GOOD BOOK?“Mystery Babylon: Unlocking the Bible’s Greatest Prophetic Mystery” by Joel RichardsonNew York Times bestselling author Joel Richardson carefully explores what is arguably the greatest prophetic mystery in all of the Bible. “Mystery Babylon” is an in-depth look at the prophecy of Revelation 17 and 18. Richardson dissects the longest prophecy in the New Testament — the final chapters of the Bible — in order to make sense of these deeply elusive and profoundly controversial passages. In his characteristically easy-to-understand style, Richardson works through the history of Christian interpretation of Mystery Babylon, weighing the strengths and weaknesses of each view, making a powerful case for a solution to this prophecy that will rock the prophecy world.— WND Books

THE WORDTaize: Pronounced “TEH-zay.” A Christian worship service known for silence, simple music, candle lighting, prayer and meditation.— ReligionStylebook.com